Band with Motown roots invites others to jam

Motown will always be a heavy-duty part of my life because those are my roots — Smokey Robinson

Smokey Robinson’s statement rings true in the hearts of six Maricopa residents, all members of the band Positive Attitude, performing Jamming at the Duke: Straight from Detroit 7 p.m. to midnight Friday at the Duke at Rancho El Dorado.

The performance is the band’s tribute to Motown and Detroit’s music of the 1960s and 1970s and the artists who helped shape and define the genres of soul, rhythm and blues and pop. And others are invited to jam.

“It’s the kind of music we grew up with and the kind of music we love,” said group founder Melvin Benning. “We want to bring this music to our community. We checked the city stats and found that 60 to 75 percent of the residents were retired and from back East. This is their music, too.”

Positive Attitude members not only grew up with the sounds of Motown and Detroit, they lived that music. Consider their musical careers:

Benning, Positive Attitude’s founder and vocalist and drummer, performed with Aretha Franklin, ran the sound system for the Funk Brothers (Motown’s studio band), and played the end-of-concert series for Detroit’s River Rouge.

Sherman Bell, singer and saxophonist, talked about the role this music played in his life.

“When I was 16, I formed the Fabulous Players, an all-city San Francisco band. I played with the Marcells for 15 years and I’ve performed with Fats Waller, Bobby Freeman, Etta James, and Redd Foxx,” he said. Other career highlights include being “on stage with James Brown and playing in a band that opened for Smokey Robinson.”

Tony Commisso, piano and organ, has performed with Redd Foxx, the Playboy Girls of Rock and Roll, Slappy White, and was the conductor for the television show Bottoms Up, which gave rise to the popular Laugh In.

Willie Payne, keyboard and vocals, has performed with The Coasters, Lou Rawls and Ray Charles.

Lee Purifoy, guitar and vocals, performed with Edward W. Frank, the Isley Brothers, the Ohio Players, and War (featuring Eric Burdon).

Abdul Yasin, vocalist and percussionist, played with the Ocapellos, whose big hit, “The Stars,” can be seen on YouTube.

Melvin owned the rights to the name Positive Attitude and said he began recruiting musicians in 2007 after moving to Maricopa the year before, scouting churches and other venues, including a Rotary Club-sponsored barn dance, to find the right combination of talent and sound.